Pros & Cons of Living On-Campus
Listed below are some pros and cons for living both on and off-campus intended to help you decide which option would be best for you. Please remember that to live off campus, you must meet Pacific's residency requirement
PROS
- Convenience/Comfort
- Closer to heart of the University! You're within walking distance to classes, the library, athletic facilities, and campus activities.
- No commute time or traffic snarls.
- Students living on campus tend to perform better academically, become more involved in extracurricular activities and rate their college experiences higher than their peers living off campus.
- If you are living in a residence hall room without a kitchen, you will save an average of 9 hours of time per week by not having to shop for groceries and cook for yourself. There is also a lot less space to keep up as far as general housekeeping is concerned.
- In room data connections, access to the PU Net, unlimited high-speed Internet access and technical support.
- All necessary furniture is provided.
- All facilities are maintained/repaired at no cost by University personnel.
- Financial
- *You don't have to worry about paying rent during the summer months in order to return to the same unit in the fall.
- No car necessary. Save on insurance, gas, and maintenance expenses.
- All the comforts of home without the financial worry of landline phone/DSL line, utility and maintenance expenses.
- You will not be held financially responsible for a roommate's room fees if s/he moves out.
- *You don't have to worry about paying rent during the summer months in order to return to the same unit in the fall.
- Security
- Your neighborhood is safe with 24-hour security and free escort to/from campus buildings.
- Find yourself locked out of your room? There's staff on hand for immediate, free assistance.
- Locked out of your car, have a dead car battery or flat tire? CPS officers offer free on-campus service to remedy all of these situations.
- Your neighborhood is safe with 24-hour security and free escort to/from campus buildings.
- Support/friendship
- Live-in, trained staff to assist you as needed with academic and/or emotional support.
- Feel a sense of belonging to the Pacific community and have the opportunity for involvement in the residence halls.
- Be where the action is and enjoy impromptu get-togethers with friends.
- Plenty of people to hang around with day and night.
- Sharing a common living space is an ideal environment for expanding your appreciation of diverse lifestyles while enriching your future and stimulating your educational growth.
- More contact with faculty/staff.
- Live-in, trained staff to assist you as needed with academic and/or emotional support.
CONS
- Convenience/Comfort
- Lack of privacy and sharing community bathrooms in non-suite rooms.
- Residence halls can be noisy.
- Having to share a very small living space with a roommate.
OFF-CAMPUS
- Convenience/Comfort
- More privacy and possibly less noise if you are living in a private residence.
- Larger living area with the luxury of having your own bathroom, living room, dining room and kitchen.
- May have yard space for entertaining friends and planting flowers or a vegetable garden.
- Greater freedom and independence.
- Setting up/maintaining your own place is part of the maturing process where you learn more about household budgeting, etc.
- Pets may be allowed.
- More privacy and possibly less noise if you are living in a private residence.
- Financial
You may be able to live off campus for less money.
- Convenience/Comfort
- If you live in an apartment complex, it is likely that you will encounter many of the same issues as you would if you lived in a residence hall: noisy neighbors, roommate conflicts, etc.
- You will need to allow for commute time and traffic snarls.
- You must shop, cook and clean for yourself.
- Will you find a unit that is in good repair for a reasonable price? Many rentals are older homes/buildings with peeling plaster/paint, leaky roofs, poor insulation, etc.
- If you live in an apartment complex, it is likely that you will encounter many of the same issues as you would if you lived in a residence hall: noisy neighbors, roommate conflicts, etc.
- Financial
- It will be necessary to provide furnishings, kitchen utensils, etc.
- You may be required to pay 1 st/last month's rent, plus security and cleaning deposits.
- In order to retain your unit for the following academic year, you will have to pay rent during the summer months whether or not you want to stay there. Or if subletting is allowed, you will need to find someone you trust with your belongings or move them out.
- Will need a car which means insurance, gas and maintenance expenses.
- Non-fixed rental expenses are not always predictable (utility/phone).
- Landline phone/DSL line and utilities will be added expenses.
- If you are sharing your residence with other occupants, whose name is on the lease, cable TV, phone? Will your roommate voluntarily cough up his/her share each month? Will you be held responsible for all charges if one or more of your roommates decides to vacate?
- It will be necessary to provide furnishings, kitchen utensils, etc.
- Security
- Is your neighborhood safe? You probably won't have 24-hour security or escort service from the parking lot to your residence.
- Find yourself locked out of your apartment/house? You may have to call/pay for a locksmith.
- If you lock yourself lock out of your car, have a dead battery or a flat tire at your residence and don't have Triple AAA service, you will have to pay someone to come to your rescue.
- Is your neighborhood safe? You probably won't have 24-hour security or escort service from the parking lot to your residence.
- Support/friendship
- Isolation. It takes more of an effort to be part of the scene when everyone else goes back to the residence hall after class to bond and hang out when you have to walk a mile in the other direction to your parked car for the commute home.
- There will be no live-in, trained staff to assist you with academic and/or emotional support.
- Isolation. It takes more of an effort to be part of the scene when everyone else goes back to the residence hall after class to bond and hang out when you have to walk a mile in the other direction to your parked car for the commute home.